Checklist for child-proofing your home to make it baby safe

Making your home baby-safe is an important task. You’d be amazed at what little fingers can get themselves into, so use our handy child-proof your home checklist to ensure that you make inside your home as childproof as possible because you can’t keep your eyes on them all the time!

Ensure that you baby-proof your house well in advance of each stage of your child’s development – don’t let your child hurt themselves the first time they manage to reach something. Try crawling around your house to see what dangers you can spot from a child’s eyes. And make sure other carers for your child (grandparents, babysitters, etc) follow the same rules. Finally, don’t forget safety when you’re away from your home – other peoples’ houses and holiday homes may not have been baby-proofed so be extra vigilant.

Here is a general list of indoor safety points to consider.

Electricity

get a safety cut-out switch installed at the main switchboard

insert safety plugs in all unused power points

ensure that electrical appliance cords aren’t dangling over the edges of work surfaces where a child could pull them and potential pull the appliance onto themselves

get all work carried out by a qualified electrician

Dangerous substances

You need to ensure that all dangerous substances and items are well out of the reach of curious little hands – items such as medicines, cleaning products, chemicals, poisons, cosmetics, matches & lighters.

keep all dangerous substances somewhere out of reach of children

put a lock on the doors of any cupboard containing dangerous items

look for products with child-resistant containers

never transfer dangerous substances to unlabelled or old containers, such as soft drink bottles

keep the Poisons Information Centre number 13 11 26 by the phone

Cords on curtains and blinds

Curtain and blind cords can represent a strangulation hazard to small children – children can get caught on the end of a cord loop or may wrap the cord around themselves.

consider purchasing special safety toggles to fit on blind and curtain cords

consider buying special cord ‘shorteners’ or affix wrap-round cleats to the wall

if your blind/curtain needs a continuous loop which can’t be cut, consider buying special boxes that ‘hide’ the end of the cord

Glass doors & windows

Children can fall out of a window which is open more than 10cm, even if a fly screen is fitted. Young children, aged from one to five years, are most at risk as they are naturally curious but lack the ability to recognise danger, with boys often being ‘more curious’ than girls. Be especially vigilant during the warmer months when you are more likely to leave windows and doors to balconies open both during the day and at night.

if safety glass is too expensive, apply shatter resistant film (this film is applied directly to the glass. should the glass break, the sticky film will stop the pieces from shattering and dispersing)

put stickers on ground level windows to help children see the window

don’t put chairs, boxes, beds or anything that a child could climb onto underneath a window

consider installing window locks – but be aware of fire danger also (keep the key somewhere handy that you could reach easily in case of fire, but which is out of reach of a child)

windows shouldn’t be opened more than 10cm when located above the ground floor – have window latches/locks fitted to stop windows opening more than 10cm or guards to protect the opening

the safeest windows are those that open from the top

do not rely on fly screens to prevent a child falling out of a window

ensure that children are taught to play away from windows

Balconies

To prevent children being injured as a result of falling from a balcony, it is recommended that balustrades, where possible:

be at least one metre high

vertical bars must be no more than 12.5cm apart (use a ruler to measure the gaps between your vertical balustrade posts)

all vertical bars are firmly fixed and can’t be pulled loose to create a large gap

have no horizontal or near horizontal parts that would allow children to climb

all furniture, pot plants and other climbable objects are kept away from the edge of balconies

that you be aware of furniture that is light enough for children to drag to the balcony edge

children are always supervised on balconies

Hot water

considering getting a thermostatic valve fitted which ensures that the water in your bathroom is delivered at a temperature no higher than 50oC. Various devices are available; all must be fitted by a licensed plumber

keep kettle cords out of reach of children

keep pan handles turned away from the edge of the cooker hob

fit guards to your taps to prevent a child turning them on

Stairs

fit stair gates at both the top and bottom of stairs – ensure that they fit well and can’t be ‘pushed out’ by an enthusiastic child; and make sure that you close and lock the gate each time you use it

Heaters & fire hazards

install smoke alarms and check that they are working correctly on a regular basis

keep a fire extinguisher and fire blanket in the kitchen

install guards around heaters and open fires

keep matches and lighters out of the reach of all children

Kitchens

keep small fridge magnets out of the reach of children – they can be a choking hazard

if possible, keep the dishwasher locked and place all sharp objects, knives, etc, sharp end down

keep surfaces hygienically clean

keep appliance cords away from edges where a child could pull them

consider a stove guard to prevent a child getting near a hot oven door

place protectors on oven switches to prevent child turning rings or gas on

turn pan handles into centre of hob so children can’t grab them and pull the pans, and their hot contents, down on top of themselves

keep plastic bags out of reach

keep cleaning products and other dangerous substances out of reach – including dishwasher powder and tablets

keep sharp objects out of reach

keep the rubbush bin inaccessible

install cupboard and drawer locks where necessary – there are a wide variety available

Toys

buy toys that are suitable for your child’s age

remove and discard all packaging before giving the toy to your child

beware of any loose or removable small parts that could represent a choking hazard

immediately repair or throw away damaged toys

beware of strings, ribbons & cords

keep toys hygenically clean

Floor Coverings

Floor coverings, such as wood and tiles that can be slippering, or rugs with edges that you can trip over, are additional hazards for little ones who may not be too stable yet on their feet. They can also be dangerous for you if you are walking in your home carrying your baby.

place anti-slip mats under rugs

wipe up spills, wood & tile floors can be slippery when wet

don’t overwax floors

tack down any loose carpet or rug edges

General

And finally, here are some general safety points and tips for keeping your home safe for your children.

put locks on any cupboard or drawer containing items that could present a hazard to a child

don’t carry your baby at the same time as hot food or drinks

don’t lift hot food or drinks over your child

use place-mats rather than table cloths; a crawling child could tug on a table cloth and pull it and everything on it, on top of themselves

consider door stops to prevent trapped fingers

protect children from sharp corners (corner ‘cushions’ are available to buy)

remove all containers that water can sit in; infants can drown in just a few cms of water

keep all small objects out of baby’s reach; pick up things off the floor (as a guide, an item could be a choking hazard if smaller than a D size battery)

always supervise children in the bath (avoid distractions, such as the telephone – consider taking the phone off the hook or putting the answerphone on)

keep filled nappy buckets fitted with a secure lid

be careful with what you put in the rubbish bin (eg razors, etc), or make the bin inaccessible to a child

keep the bathroom door closed

consider installing guards on ceiling fans

the polystyrene balls in bean bags can represent a serious choking hazard to a small child – remove the end of the zipper so that children can’t get at the beads inside. Use a paperclip if you wish to undo the zipper at a later date

This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a great start! Supervision is the key to child safety, but you can’t watch them 24/7, so minimise any risks by ensuring that your home space is as safe as possible for your children.

For further information on child safety, we recommend a visit to your local Kidsafe Centre. Kidsafe is the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia and they have a wealth of information on child safety. Their online child safety fact sheets (from Kidsafe Qld) provide even more information on different aspects of baby and child safety.

Comment Guidelines : Play nice! We welcome opinions, discussion and compliments. Especially compliments. But remember: the person on the other side of the computer screen is someone's mum, brother, nan or highly intelligent but opinionated cat. We don't tolerate nastiness or bullying. We'll delete disrespectful comments and any replies to them. more

Thank you for contributing to our website.

Your comments must be relevant to the topic and must not be added with the purpose of causing harm or hurt.

We reserve the right to remove your comments if they:

Defame any person

Breach any person's confidentiality

Breach any person's intellectual property rights

Breach privacy laws

Breach anti-discrimination laws

Contains links, advertising or spam

Stalk, harrass or bully a person

Promote or encourage an illegal act

Contain course language or content

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How Me Parent Good: And You Can Too! is a 6-episode comedy web series about parenthood in bite-sized episodes of tongue-in-cheek parenting advice. One of our team was lucky to go to a live show and 'absolutely loved the show', 'lots of laughs'...

GymbaROO offers activities for babies & toddlers in a fun learning centre, focussing on developmental education. Classes are available Australia-wide. Enrol today & help your child to reach their full potential. Visit the website to find out more.